Japan

JFK aboard the PT-109 in the South Pacific in 1943

Why JFK Kept a Coconut Shell in the Oval Office

During this week in 1943, a 26-year-old Kennedy and his crew were marooned on a deserted island and then rescued thanks to two daring men

The U.S. Assault on Okinawa Was Met With an Eerie Silence

When U.S. troops launched their assault on the Pacific island of Okinawa, they expected a fierce resistance from an entrenched Japanese army

U.S. Marines' First Test Against Japanese Defenses on Okinawa

As U.S. marines advanced northward in Okinawa, they approached a craggy mass known as Mount Yae-Take

This island has been a boy's club for hundreds of years.

This Island Can Only Be Visited by Men

Okinoshima is officially an Unesco world heritage site—but tradition bans women from its shores

"Corpse Hotels" Are in Demand in Japan

Crematoria are too busy, so a new type of business stepped in to make the wait more comfortable

Dogs Will Sniff Out Stomach Cancer in New Japanese Trial

The nose knows

Ainu people wearing traditional clothes at the Ainu Museum, City of Shiraoi, Hokkaido, Japan.

Australia to Return Remains of Japan's Indigenous Ainu People

In the early 20th century, an anthropologist excavated the remains and sent them overseas

In his 1910 rendering of the Winslow House, Wright seems to mimic Ando Hiroshige’s use of vegetation as a frame.

Frank Lloyd Wright Credited Japan for His All-American Aesthetic

The famed architect was inspired by drawings and works from the Asian nation

Japanese Princess Will Lose Her Royal Status When She Marries a Commoner

Some say that the country should amend its imperial succession laws, which currently prohibit women from ascending to the throne

Eternally mysterious Mount Fuji, as seen from Lake Kawaguchiko, remains a powerful force in Japanese culture and a must-do hike for truth-seekers despite the crowds and the looming threat of eruption.

Why Mount Fuji Endures As a Powerful Force in Japan

Not even crowds and the threat of an eruption can dampen the eternally mysterious volcano

The Meiji Emperor, who issued an influential educational announcement in 1890, poses with the imperial family.

Japan Will Allow Its Schools to Use a Controversial 19th-Century Imperial Text

The educational edict was banned after World War II for serving military and nationalistic purposes

Snow at Fukagawa by Kitagawa Utamaro (1753–1806), Japan, Edo period, ca. 1802–6

This Rare Display of a Japanese Triptych is Only Usurped by the Great Mysteries Surrounding It

Don’t miss this singular showing of Kitagawa Utamaro's three works reunited at the Sackler Gallery

This Japanese vessel is supposedly researching whales in Australia—but opponents say it's just whaling under another name.

A Japanese Fleet Killed Over 300 Whales This Season

The creatures were supposedly collected for the sake of research

National Archives of Korea's Busan Repository

Why South Korea’s National Archive Uprooted 12 Japanese Trees

The kaizuka trees represent a long and complicated history with the country's former colonial occupier

Furano, Japan

12 Mesmerizing Places to Watch Flowers Bloom

Because there's no better way exalt the end of winter than with millions of tulips, poppies and roses

Yayoi Kusama with recent works in Tokyo, 2016

Follow the Polka Dots to Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Rooms That Are Breaking Museum Records

"Polka dots are a way to infinity," says Japan's most successful artist, now at the Hirshhorn

The Watanabe family brought this suitcase with them to Idaho's Minidoka camp. Evacuees were allowed to bring only what they could carry.

What's Changed in the 30 Years Since the Smithsonian Opened an Exhibition on Japanese Internment

A new display at the American History Museum marks the 75th Anniversary of Executive Order 9066

Woodblock print on paper by Utagawa Kuniyoshi.

Japan Is Getting a Ninja Museum

Officials hope the iconic warriors can sneak more tourism into the country

Japan Plans to Make Olympic Medals Out of Electronic Waste

Organizers hope to reclaim gold, silver and copper from the used electronics for the 2020 games

The hole in the grate below the pressure vessel in reactor 2, possibly caused by melted nuclear material

Scientists Measure Highest Radiation Levels Yet Inside Fukushima's Damaged Reactors

The latest measurements are over seven times the previously measured high—enough to fry a robot in two hours

Page 10 of 15